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Portugal election: Socialists re-elected but far-right make gains

Portugal's legislative elections are taking place on January 30, 2022.
Portugal's legislative elections are taking place on January 30, 2022. Copyright  Euronews
Copyright Euronews
By Euronews with AP, AFP
Published on Updated
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A poll by Portugal’s Catholic University for public broadcaster RTP estimated that the Socialists collected between 37%-42% of the vote on Sunday, with their main rival, the centre-right Social Democrats taking 30%-35%.

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The centre-left Socialist Party won the most votes in Sunday's legislative election in Portugal and is close to securing an absolute majority.

With more than 98% of the votes counted, the Socialists (PS) secured nearly 41.65% of the vote while their centre-right rivals, the Social Democrats (PSD), had managed to get 27.94%.

The far-right Chega (Enough) party made significant gains and was third with 7.15% of the vote.

The snap election was triggered two months ago when lawmakers rejected the minority Socialist government’s spending bill and the country’s president dissolved parliament.

Opinion polls had suggested that the Socialists and Social Democrats were in a tight race.

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Here's are the key points

  • An exit poll estimated the Socialist Party has a slim lead over its main rival, the Social Democrast;
  • This means the centre-left party will once more likely need the support of other left-wing parties to govern;
  • The far-right Chega! (Enough!) party is expected to see its support soar to about 6% from just 1.3% back in 2019.
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Social Democratic leader says result is 'substantially below' expectations

Rui Rio said he will step down as PSD leader if the Socialists secure an absolute parliamentary majority.
"I honestly don't see how I can be useful in this framework," Rio told reporters.
"We didn't reach the goals we wanted by far or close and PS is by far the big winner of the night," he added.

With nearly 99% of the ballots counted, PSD had secured 27.91% of the vote, well below the 41.65% secured by the PS.
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Portugal's Socialists celebrate their victory

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Spain's Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez welcomes Costa's victory

On Twitter, the Spanish Prime Minister offered his congratulations to his Portuguese counterpart.
"Portugal has once again opted for a social democratic project that combines growth and social justice. Together we will continue to promote in our countries and in Europe a socialist response to the challenges we share," he wrote.
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Frans Timmermans congratulates PM Costa

The EU Commission Vice-President and Dutch Labour party politician congratulated Antonio Costa for the Socialists' victory.
"An important victory for Portugal and Europe," he wrote on Twitter.
 

 
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Socialists issue call for 'dialogue' with other parties

Foreign Affairs Minister Augusto Santos Silva told public broadcaster RTP that  it seems clear that the Socialist Party will be the winner of this night, but "the dimension of this victory" still needs to be known.
"We will dialogue with everyone but one party and we will assume responsibility for forming a government," he added.
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Socialists have 10-point lead over nearest rival as 63% of ballots counted

With more than 63.5% of ballots counted, the Socialist party had secured 42.9% of the ballots, well ahead of the Social Democrats' 31.14% share, preliminary results show.
The far-right Chega! party was in third place with 7.5% of the vote.
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Socialist Party win the most votes, exit poll suggests

A poll by Portugal’s Catholic University for public broadcaster RTP estimated that the Socialists collected between 37%-42% of the vote on Sunday, with their main rival, the centre-right Social Democrats taking 30%-35%.
The poll did not take into account the about 1.5 million people, out of an electorate of 10.8 million eligible voters, who live abroad and can vote by mail.
 
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Parliament probing potential election day hack

A hacking group claimed it had gained access to the Portuguese parliament website and "stolen sensitive information".

The parliament's official website was unavailable in France for a short time on Sunday evening.
A spokesperson has said they were investigating a possible cyberattack but said that "there is currently no evidence" of one.
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1.2 million people in COVID-19 isolation

More than 1.2 million people were in isolation on Saturday due to the pandemic across Portugal, according to the Directorate-General for Health.


These include 591,969 with active infection and 611,042 risk contacts under surveillance. 

The country's total population is 10.3 million.


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Prime Minister Costa voted early

António Costa cast his vote in the country's snap elections last week.
He told reporters on Sunday: "I hope above all that everyone feels safe to exercise their right to vote, all the measures have been met so that everyone can vote with safety."
"Fortunately it is going normally, no boycott nowhere, everything is going smoothly, people can vote and so I make an appeal so that people vote and take part in this moment, the great celebration of democracy in which every citizen decides what they want for the future," he said.
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What voters are saying 

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Opposition leader Rui Rio casts his ballot

The leader of the Social Democrats carried out his democratic duty and urged others to do the same.
"I wanted to make an appeal for people to vote, I understand this time it's a bit different," he said, likely referring to the impact the pandemic is having on the election process. 
He described himself as "calm". "We did everything we were supposed to," he added.
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Need a refresher on why these elections are taking place? 

Never fear! We've got you covered.
The elections are taking place because the ruling Socialist Party, in power since 2015, failed to get its budget through parliament.
It came after their traditional allies on the left -- the Communists (PCP), Greens (PEV) and the Left Bloc (BE) -- declined to support it because the spending commitments were not ambitious enough.
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Mid-day turnout higher than in 2019

The turnout at 12:00 local time was 23.3%, according to the government. That's higher than for the four previous elections.
That's despite a tenth of the electorate being under quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, the government ruled that voters under quarantine would be allowed to visit their local polling stations, urging them however to do so during the last opening hour of the day to minimise contact with other people.
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What the Social Democrats have pledged

The centre-right party is promising income tax cuts and more help for private companies, cutting corporate tax from the current 21% to 17% by 2024.


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What the Socialists have pledged

The centre-left party has promised to increase the minimum monthly wage, earned by more than 800,000 people, to €900 euros by 2026. It is currently €705 euros.


The Socialists also want to “start a national conversation” about working four days a week instead of five.


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